That ad is disgusting! I co-slept with all of my children and like you, I did it safely. I feel so sad for all the parents that lost their little one to co-sleeping but education is the answer, not labeling bed sharing as something as absurd as letting your baby sleep with a knife. Wow, this one hit a nerve! Great topic and thanks for adding the link on how to sleep safely with your baby!

I co-slept with both of my kids and, like you, followed the advice from Dr. Sears for how to do it safely. Honestly, I was still scared that something bad might happen and that I'd never forgive myself for it, but maybe that's because there is so much out there making us fearful of the practice rather than educating how to be safe doing it.

I always go back and forth about whether or not an ad campaign like that makes sense from a public health perspective. Reducing the number of people who co sleep all together will certainly reduce the number of babies who die while co sleeping. At the same time, I honestly don't know how ANYONE has a newborn and doesn't end up with them in their bed at some point or another. I remember sleeping with my youngest across my belly for at least a couple days because I couldn't get her to sleep any other way! (FYI, that is NOT recommended in any safe co sleeping literature!) Like, Leigh, I also never let the babies sleep next to dad. WE had no extra pillows on the bed and only used thin blankets that went nowhere near the baby. So, maybe since most people will end up doing it anyway, educating on how to do it safely makes most sense.

The sleeping conditions of the babies in the ad are very unsafe, so in a literal sense, it is probably as dangerous as sleeping next to a knife when you've got the baby on their belly with a pillow and a huge comforter, or when the parent is under the influence. So, why not say that? I don't know!

I never co-slept with my children because I was scared that I might suffocate them. The PSA is calling the attention of parents who may not know that it can be dangerous.
Even though it's disturbing to see, I think that it's important that the Health Department do something about the epidemic that seems to be striking infants in their state. So sad.

I have to wonder if co-sleeping is the only way to bond and feel close (for parents and infant)? Isn't lap time, cuddle time, singing time, rocking time, feeding time, gazing into your eyes time... sufficient for the closeness that occurs through co-sleeping.

I have to wonder if the benefits of co-sleeping (which are?) are worth the possible risks.. even if following safety guidelines. The other side of the coin, for me, is the equal importance of crib safety. Recent recalls for cribs with drop-sides that trap infants' heads raise relevant concerns, too.

Babies' bodies are engineered for co-sleeping. They skin needs constant temperature adjustment and bonding for comfort and security. Anybody know when the crib was invented? My Mother co-slept with all 3 of her children and I co-slept with both of mine. There are risks involved in my children climbing trees. I climbed trees and they are definitely going to climb trees. What would be the measureable benefits of tree climbing? Well, my life and perspective has been forever enhanced by it. When I see young parents struggling with the effects of sleep deprivation, trying to mold their parenting by some fear based expectation of our contemporary American society, I feel sorry for them. Even though there may be low risks associated with co-sleeping, there is also a baby killer called SIDS. Babies who are not breast fed have a higher incidence of death by SIDS. I personally believe that body temperature is directly negatively affected by crib sleeping. I bet if they did more qualitative research on co-sleeping in Milwaukee, they would find that there is a high incidence of sleeping with babies while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This would be the problem, not co-sleeping. Isn't Milwaukee a beer capital or something? If you research the globe, you will find that families co-sleep globally, and would think it strange to put a baby in a crib. Women also don't typically get banished to bathrooms to breastfeed in other countries, as well.

I am an advocate of safe co-sleeping if it works for your family. Unfortunately, it's hard to educate the public at large on the nuances of "safe" co-sleeping vs. "unsafe" co-sleeping. I think the Milwaukee Healthy Dept ad is directed at those that are not following the safe co-sleeping guidelines - the poor, the uneducated, the addicted, etc. and trying to keep their babies safe in response to community tragedy. By necessity, sometimes public health issues invoke blanket approaches for the purpose of saving lives as a bottom line. However, it would be interesting to know what kind of advice callers are given when they dial that number (hint, hint, Leigh).

Love Dr.Sears adn his wife, Co sleeping/family bed is not an easy thing to do, but when done right, it's the best!

I am not a proponent of co-sleeping myself, but that's mostly because I wouldn't have liked that method for us. My reasons are personal and individual, and I understand that others feel differently. I respect every parent's right to do whatever works for him or her.

As for the PSA, I hardly think co-sleeping can be considered as dangerous as sleeping with a knife. That's crazy and misleading!

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The ad is a bit disturbing, especially since I co-sleep with all my babies. I agree that co-sleeping is not for everyone and that's fine; some of us moms need every little bit of extra sleep we can get, plus my milk supply increases a lot if I nurse my babes in bed. I'm breastfeeding triplets and bring them into bed with me throughout the night (one at a time.) I've always followed the rules Dr. Sears shares in his book and website. I think moms out there need to know there is a right way and not be afraid to ask their pediatrician for advice. Educate moms and dads instead of scare them.

I know two families who have had babies die this way, and both cases resulted in charges being brought against one or both parents. One woman even lost her other kids for a while, she had to jump through a lot of hoops to get them back, and her husband went to jail. I know it's inconvenient to get up and feed the baby, and it's hard to take the knowledge that the authorities are concerned about where your kids sleep in your house, but it can lead to a tragedy, so therefore in my opinion it's not worth the risk.

Both of my babies slept with me and it was a very special, sacred time. Now that they are teenagers it's a wonderful, peaceful memory of the past!

I understand why the ad has an extreme message b/c of a high rate of death, and I'm glad that moms can get a pack-n-play. But it's too bad that co-sleeping is presented so negatively, b/c it's a beautiful practice when done mindfully. I can't argue with anything that has been said about how natural and comfortable co-sleeping can be for mommy and baby. My personal experience left me uneasy with it, though I support co-sleeping in general. I co-slept for the first couple of months with my son. He was such a poor sleeper and moved about so much, that, even following all the guidelines, I got scared when I awoke in the middle of the night (he was 4 months old), and I found him down at my feet (somehow he had shimmied down). I was so sleep deprived b/c he was so restless and woke often throughout the night, that I was afraid that I was not alert enough to be safe. I moved him to the crib. He still had a tough time with sleep, but I felt like I had more control over the blankets and the location of his body, and I slept better because of it.This issue is much like the breast feeding debate. There is a point at which formula feeding is the healthiest way to go if the mother has really poor nutrition or a substance abuse issue. I would be really upset by an ad that suggested that breast feeding your infant was harmful in any way. Though, I guess if you are trying to get the attention of people who aren't paying any attention, you might have to use shock to get a point across.

I wonder how many infants died in cribs in Milwaukee in the same time frame. I couldn't find that information, but in 3 years there were 807 infant deaths, 269 per year. 20% were due to unsafe sleeping conditions, 58 deaths. So that would mean about 48 deaths per year in unsafe sleeping conditions that were not cosleeping. Perhaps their focus should be on general sleeping safety. (Unscientific conclusion based on stats that were quickly searched at Milwaukee.gov and not double checked)

My two children and four stepchildren all coslept safely.

From my personal perspective, I can't imagine any baby being in danger in their parent's bed unless the parents are extremely intoxicated. I slept with both of my babies, my first from newborn-13mo. and my second from newborn-6mo. (he slept better alone) and I broke all the "rules" of safe sleeping. They were snuggled up so close to me, and in between myself and my husband, and supposedly that is dangerous, I guess, but I never felt the slightest bit of fear. I am not a deep sleeper, and a friend of mine who is says she was afraid she would roll over on the baby and not wake up. I just find that to be extremely far-fetched, but I also understand that if you are not comfortable doing something with your baby, you shouldn't. I respect everyone's individual sleep needs, but this ad depicting a baby sleeping with a knife, I find to be very offensive and rather tasteless. I also imagine the statistics do not tell the whole story.

I know of a mom and dad who co-slept with their newborn, who was dead when they woke up one morning. The father blamed himself even though the death might have also occurred in a bassinet, crib, etc.

The key, in my humble opinion, is for parents to make an informed decision, do the research, and ensure safety in whatever sleeping arrangement they deem best for their infant.

I agree with all the comments about doing what is best for your family. I don't mean to come off sounding like things are all black and white. The story about parents being prosecuted in the death of their baby is horrific. I think that is ridiculous that they took her children away. I think if that happened to anyone I knew I would not react positively toward the entities making those decisions.

I know that my consciousness during sleep changed a lot when my babies were under a year. I slept much more lightly, and I could wake up at the slightest movement, which is not characteristic of me now. In all things concerning child safety, we all have to live with our decisions, so it is only right that everyone make the decisions that are best for their families, weighing the variables on an individual, case by case basis. I get aggravated about it because pediatricians often warn new parents against it, and coming from a situation where you have no parenting experience, you are very vulnerable to being influenced. Same with circumcision and vaccinating, although I did vaccinate. In the 70s, my Mother was told by her pediatrician that formula was better for the baby, and she still chose to breastfeed.

Leigh, there has been a great deal of research done by Dr. James McKenna on this topic. I've read many of his articles and studies and when I last checked he listed formula feeding as the common link in co-sleeping deaths. I was really taken aback when I read that, as I thought it would be alcohol/drug use. There was really interesting information about the synchronizing of sleep patterns between mother and baby, the time spent in deep sleep, etc. Quite an interesting read, you might enjoy it! I co-slept with both my kids for years (using safe practices and they were both breasted) and I loved it. I'm an advocate of safe bed-sharing, but after the research I've read I would not recommend it to a mother of a small infant who was not exclusively breastfeeding.

Ithink co sleeping is not good! because i watched my mother co sleep with my baby brother everynight when he was born he is no five and refuses to sleep in his own bed , my mother even bought him a bunk bed to make him feel like a big boy but it still didnt work. now my mother says she regrets co sleeping with him but she gets mad when he doesnt want to sleep withher or he wants to go stay with someone. i know what it feels like for her to want him to sleep with her because im 15 and have a son of my own and i would like to die not being able to sleep with christian but im scared that when i sleep i will roll over on top of him at night or he will have SIDS so i will not let him lay in bed with me but i do have his crib in my roomand a night light so he doesnt get to scared!! :OP

I took several parenting classes and was told by every teacher that the majority of pediatricians around the country recommend to NEVER listen to Dr. Sears. Everything he advocated from timed feeding schedule to the role of a parent is opposite of how a child should be nurtured. I don't mean this rudely, but I recommend you do more research on the professionals you mention in your article.

This was also pulled from the same document in the footnotes...
"It should be noted that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is on record as opposing bed sharing by an infant and an adult, particularly if there is more than 1 adult in the bed. Many cases of infant suffocation have been reported during bed sharing.116 However, it is recognized that a significant portion of the population practices bed sharing between mother and infant as a strategy to facilitate breastfeeding and that the presence of the father in the bed will be common. It is the consensus of the Task Force that there are insufficient data to conclude that bed sharing under carefully controlled conditions is clearly hazardous or clearly safe."

This all sounds really great.. I guess it all comes down to this: in the event (God forbid) that my 6month old baby boy should accidentally die would I rather him die in a crib or in my arms? I just think as hard as losing a baby would be already I can not even begin to fathom the shame, guilt, and intense depression I would encounter If my baby should die accidentally so close to me or somehow because of me. I think this topic is very hard to deal with because it seems more about which way you want to put your baby to death rather than to sleep. Everyone seems to come back to that more overall SID's deaths occur than accidental death in cosleeping.